The Aroma of Comfort
by EclecticRegard
Summary: It seemed as though only Jack could placate him in this increasingly lonely world... 10/Jack fluff


Title: The Aroma of Comfort

Author: EclecticRegard

Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Fluff

Rating: PG

Pairing: (10th) Doctor/Jack

Warnings: A bit of spoilers.

Notes: _I just started watching 'Doctor Who' like... three days ago and 'Torchwood' a few weeks ago, so some stuff is bound to be off. Anyways, me and _**reflecting** _were watching an episode together and I was asking her things like whether or not the doctor needs to eat, sleep, etc., and eventually made a comment about him needing to shave. Thus, a picture (link in my profile) was born. I asked and she gave me full permission to use the scene/dialogue if I wanted to. Well, I wanted to._

-...-

It had been around midnight when the TARDIS appeared just outside of Torchwood Three's base. Being without a travel companion, the doctor thought it would be a nice change of pace to take a bit of a vacation and visit the one person he knew would always be around: Captain Jack Harkness. They had been friendly enough at first and even managed to grow close as the years passed, yet the doctor found himself relieved when he noticed it was nighttime in Cardiff. As much as he enjoyed Jack's company, it was always nice to have a bit of time to mentally prepare himself before spending any time with the immortal.

He restlessly tinkered about the control room for a bit, a small frown forming his lips. He'd been restless a lot lately and, quite frankly, he was getting sick of it. He supposed being alone in the large time ship wasn't good for him. Time Lord or not, he was a social being and needed stimulation. Despite his unamused reactions to Jack's almost constant come-ons, the doctor would be lying if he said he wasn't still flattered that the man never stopped trying.

Thoughts whirling around in his head, the doctor headed off to bed.

-...-

After the loss of both Owen and Toshiko, Jack thought that some change would do him good. Namely, he opted to get his own place instead of living in the Hub. He soon rediscovered what there was that he had missed about having his own space. He could have a nice big, comfortable bed, he didn't have to worry about one of his team coming in and accidentally waking him, and, for a few brief moments a day, he could separate himself from his work and pretend like everything was right with the world.

As he walked down the street, he found another thing to add to his list: spotting certain things loitering about before he ever actually entered his workplace. The TARDIS was stationed almost precisely next to the entrance to the Hub. As always, the doctor's visit was a surprise. He wasn't one to call ahead, but he usually let Jack know when he was finally there. A quick glance at his phone told the former conman that no, the doctor hadn't called him yet.

Brow quirked ever so slightly, Jack grabbed his own personal key to the TARDIS and let himself in.

The control room was empty and everything seemed normal, sparking his curiosity even more. If the doctor was off relaxing, he'd likely already been there for a while. As he made his way further into the ship, Jack was careful to tread softly, just in case.

He heard soft humming from down the hallway and allowed himself a small smile. He knew the doctor had been rather down as of late; it was nice to know that his spirits were at least a little higher now.

Jack walked down the hallway, following the hum of the doctor's tune. When he discovered the humming was, in fact, coming from the bathroom, he hurried along, interested in what he might be able to see.

He pressed up against the wall and peeked around the doorway. What he saw made him stop in his tracks.

The room was warm and steamy from a recent shower. The doctor stood before the mirror, his body still dripping wet and naught but a pale yellow towel wrapped around his waist. His hair fell down straight, making it appear longer than normal over the back of his neck, and was lazily pushed out of his eyes. What really attracted Jack's attention was what the doctor was doing. In his hand was a simple razor and on his jaw line shaving cream. The doctor was already halfway done with the job. His lips were curved slightly upwards. His warm brown eyes followed the razor's every movement. Despite his seemingly hard concentration on the task at hand, Jack could see that his eyes were calm, perhaps even a bit content.

The immortal eventually managed to pull himself out of his stupor. He plastered his trademark smirk on his face and, in the best jump-in-bed-with-me tone he could muster, stated, "So you do eat, sleep, bathe and _shave_ like a human! I wonder what else we have in common, hm, Doctor?"

Every muscle in the doctor's body froze. His eyes grew wide as a wild blush graced his cheeks. He stared into blue-gray eyes through the mirror, holding their gaze only a moment before shouting, "Get out!"

Smirk still in place, Jack complied. He didn't get a chance to sneak up on the skinny man too often and wanted to remain on the doctor's good side. He left the doctor's bedroom, shutting the door behind him in a polite gesture before taking to an empty bedroom across the hall. He perched himself on the edge of the bed and waited patiently.

He couldn't help but chuckle as he heard the doctor rustling about his room, mumbling embarrassedly to himself about perverted suspender-wearing immortals. Several minutes passed before the doctor finally emerged from his room, clad in his brown suit and hair done just the way he liked.

Jack leaned back onto his hand as the time traveler stormed over to the unclaimed room, cheeks still flushed in irritation and embarrassment. "Something wrong, Doctor?"

"Don't give me that innocent tone! What the bloody hell was that?"

"Excuse me for openly enjoying looking at the only thing better than the Seven Wonders of the World." His tone was a bit less teasing now.

The doctor's cheeks turned a shade darker as he sputtered incoherently. Jack watched him with amusement, waiting for him to calm down before beckoning him over with his other hand.

He sat up straight, tilting his head back to stare up at the youthful man. "I've missed you." he said earnestly.

"... Me too." The pain of utter loneliness quickly found its way back to the doctor's face, contorting his lips into the deep frown that he was so very tired of fighting off.

Jack reached out and suddenly yanked the doctor closer. He spread his legs so the doctor could stand between them and wrapped his arms tightly around the thin waist. He buried his face into the front of slighter man's shirt, breathing deeply.

The doctor stared down at him, allowing himself to feel the comfort the man was offering. He rested an arm around Jack's shoulders, his free hand running through short, dark hair. He bent over, pressing a kiss to the top of Jack's head, breathing in the scent he had so dearly missed.

His hold tightened as he was once again reminded that, even if every companion he ever had ended up leaving him, he would always hold that piece of Jack's heart that refused to let him go.


End file.
